Heart signs assistants

The Melbourne Heart Syndicate has announced former Qantas Socceroo Ante Milicic and former Danish international Jesper Olsen as assistants to head coach John van 't Schip for the club's debut in the 2010/11 Hyundai A-League season.

The Melbourne Heart Syndicate has announced former Qantas Socceroo Ante Milicic and former Danish international Jesper Olsen as assistants to head coach John van 't Schip for the club's debut in the 2010/11 Hyundai A-League season.

Milicic enjoyed a glittering playing career, making six appearances in the green and gold and also representing teams in both the old NSL and the Hyundai A-League as well as spending time in the Netherlands, Croatia and Malaysia before turning his hand to coaching in recent times.

The 35-year-old, a winner of the Joe Marston and Johnny Warren Medals, combined playing and coaching with his original club Sydney United in the NSW Premier League this season and also recently worked as an assistant under Qantas Young Socceroos coach Jan Versleijen at the Under-20 World Cup.

Olsen meanwhile played in two European Championships with Denmark, spent time at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson and at Bordeaux under Aime Jacquet and played with Johan Cruyff.

Olsen has spent the past few years developing the next generation of stars with his own academies in Australia and Europe but this appointment marks his first as a coaching professional, and van 't Schip and club chief Scott Munn are delighted with the appointments.

"They bring qualities to the table, which are important to build a successful football club, and will help us into the future."

"Ante's knowledge of youth football, development and the A-League will prove important, while Jesper's experience in the Dutch system will reinforce the football style and philosophy I hope to integrate."

"Melbourne Heart Syndicate has deliberately set out to build a coaching panel that is capable of delivering exciting football," Munn added.

"Encouraging both devotees of the game as well as newcomers to the sport to get on board and support our team (is our goal)."